Researchers Karen L. Davies and Hassan Ugail used artificial intelligence facial recognition to analyze two Hans Holbein drawings from the Royal Collection Trust. Their study, published in npj Heritage Science, suggests that a portrait previously labeled as Anne Boleyn actually depicts her mother, Elizabeth Howard, while a drawing cataloged as an unidentified woman is the true likeness of Anne Boleyn. The findings challenge long-held identifications based on 18th-century inscriptions and align more closely with contemporary descriptions of Boleyn as slender with dark hair.
This matters because it demonstrates how AI can resolve long-standing art historical debates, particularly for works where written records are sparse or unreliable. The study also highlights the limitations of traditional attribution methods and opens the door for broader reassessment of Holbein's drawings. If confirmed, the reidentification would reshape understanding of Tudor portraiture and the visual record of one of England's most famous queens.